All That Shouldn't Be
by xGreyscaleRainbow
Summary: A great past together, but lost for eight years? Will this friendship put it's pieces back together? *doesn't know how to summarize* AkuRiku
1. Gone Forever

_**Tittle:** All That Shouldn't Be (I know, it's lame. Sue me. D;)  
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_**Chapter:** Gone Forever  
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_**Disclaimer: **Characters belong to Square Enix I only own the plot._

_**Warnings:** Possible OOC, Shounen-ai, possible Yaoi  
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_**Author's Note: **I've been debating on submitting this, so...if you guys like it, I'll continue adding chapters to it... Sorry for the shortness of chapters D; I'm working on making them longer...unless you like them this way...comments are nice Dx_

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><p>"Axel, Father said not to come here anymore…" I almost whispered, standing at the black fence that surrounded the huge mansion. "You know what he'll do if he finds out we're here…" My redheaded friend turned to look at me, his emerald eyes staring straight at me.<p>

"What, are you scared? C'mon, Riku! You've never backed down before!"

"But, Father—"

"Forget about him! C'mon!" The eight-year-old reached over and grabbed my hand, pulling me passed the gate. He dragged me all the way up to the front door, kicking it open. "Ya see, Riku?" He turned to me, dropping my hand. "All of this is ours! We claimed it, remember?" The redhead pointed to the houses at the bottom of the large hill. I stared off at the little town we called home. "The government thinks they get to keep all this, but they're wrong! It's ours, Riku! Got it memorized?" He wrapped an arm around my neck, pulling me against him tightly. I smiled at my best friend.

"Got it." I nodded as we walked into the old mansion. The old wooden ground creaked under our weight as out footsteps echoed through the large room of dust and cobwebs. The light from the door barely lit up the darkness.

"Never be afraid." Axel called from behind me. I spun around as he shut the door.

"Axel?" I heard his laughter, but couldn't tell where he was. "Axel, quit it!"

"Aw, come on." A match was lit in front of my face, making me jump back and yelp. "Take all the fun out, why don'tcha?" I shoved him away as he laughed.

"That wasn't funny!"

"Was to me. C'mon, let's find the lanterns." I stayed close to his side as we walked through a living room-type place. "You're not scared of being here, huh?"

"I don't want to get in trouble…"

"By yer dad." He sighed.

"Yeah. He'd beat me if he found out I was here… I don't even want to find out what he'd do if he found out I was with _you_…" His laughter made me jump.

"Why does he always have to hate the pyro? I'm not a bad kid." He made a pouty face next to the little burning stick and then blew it out. I heard the scratch of another match, a little flame catching onto the end. "Grab that lantern there." He pointed to the wall near me. It was yellow-ish with a bunch of cracks from old age. I looked up at the lantern, which was a little out of me reach. New cobwebs covered over the old cobwebs and spider shells. I groaned and jumped up to grab it, knocking it off the little platform it stood on. "Hey, hey! Don't break it!" Axel called as he rushed over to catch it. He lit it up and held it out to light our path.

"Axel—"

"Stop being a wuss. C'mon, the stairs are right over there." He grabbed my hand and ran toward the stairs. They creaked as we stepped on them and my heart raced in fear of falling through. "You're not gonna fall! You've done this many times before, why are you so—" He yelped as the step underneath him snapped in half. The lantern fell down a few steps as he tried to pull himself up. I grabbed onto his shoulders and pulled on him, panicking. I finally got him free, falling against the wall. We were silent—aside from our hard breathing—as we sat there, staring at the hole in the step Axel just made. Then, he started laughing. "That was pretty damn close!" He stood up and walked down to get the lantern, turning to me and holding his hand out. All I could do was smile and shake my head.

"You're so weird…" I laughed, taking his hand and standing up. Once we got—safely—to the top of the stair case, he ran off into one of the rooms. "Axel! I have no light!"

"You're fine! Just follow my light!" My friend laughed. I groaned and walked with my hands stretched out in front of me toward the room that glowed in the darkness. "Look, candles." He smiled, lighting up all the candles on the ground. That was our only light—beside the one crack of sunlight that came through the window, which was boarded up with planks of wood. "I think someone else has been in here."

"This room?"

"No, the house. I came in here one day and left all these candles here and then I left a lantern next to the door. It was gone when we got here."

"Maybe it was a ghost." I half-joked, getting chills just thinking about it.

"Maybe." He chuckled, opening the wooden closet. "I left a bunch of my toys here, too. Wanna play?" He held a little action figure toward me.

"Yeah, sure." I walked up and took the toy from his hand as he pulled out a bucket from the closet.

Hours seemed like minutes as we played with our toys, laughing and killing the "bad guys". It was fun until we heard the door open downstairs. Our voices came to a sudden stop and we listened for whatever it was. The door shut and Axel jumped up, putting all the toys back in the bucket. I tried to help him, but he was already finished. We heard footsteps—maybe two or three different pairs—as he picked up the bucket and gently laid it back in the closet. He turned around and grabbed me by the back of my shirt, shoving me into the closet as well. "Axel!" I whispered.

"Shh! I'll go and see who it is…" He slowly started to shut the door. "Don't come out until I come back…"

"Axel…" He put his finger to his lips right before he shut the closet door. I slid down against the wall so I could sit, hugging my knees. I listened to all the footsteps as the group came up the stairs and Axel as his stopped, then continued, and then stopped again. My heart beat heavily as silence buzzed in my ears. _It's nothing… It's nothing… Just ghosts… No one's here… Just ghosts… They won't hurt us… We'll be okay…_ I tried to clam myself. Then the footsteps went wild and I heard Axel yell as he ran down the hallway. I gasped and held my breath. A loud crack crashed against the empty walls, a loud boom followed after.

"Shit!" Axel's voice was faint. He must have jumped or fell off the second floor. "Get away from me! You freaks!" My heart felt like it was going to burst as Axel's screaming echoed then stopped abruptly. I waited and listened hard. A few voices whispered words I couldn't make out completely. "_Unconscious_" and "_Child_" were the only words I could hear. They were repeated a few times, though. The footsteps started picking up again and I heard the door open, and then shut after a few seconds. I sat, frozen, scared, useless…alone…

I sat, waiting for my redheaded friend, afraid to move without his consent. Fear crept inside me as time passed, mocking me and my uselessness. Finally, I shoved the door away and ran out of the room, noticing the railing for the balcony had snapped apart. Slowly, I walked up to it, peeking over the edge. Bits and pieces of the rail lay along the floor, but no Axel. I bit my lip and ran down the stairs, hoping over the hole carefully, and ran around the house blindly, calling for my friend and searching for a sign of him still here.

The house continued to stay quiet and the sun continued to fall below the horizon. I wiped away tears as I ran out of the mansion and down the hill. Home was the only place to go now…


	2. The Pyro

_**Tittle:** All That Shouldn't Be  
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_**Chapter:** The Pyro  
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_**Disclaimer: **Characters belong to Square Enix I only own the plot._

_**Warnings:** Possible OOC, Shounen-ai, Possible Yaoi  
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_**Author's Note: **Bleh. Uploading Chapter Two : short again Dx_

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><p>~Eight Years Later~<p>

"Get outta the way, retard!" Father yelled, swatting his hand in the air as I walked passed the TV. He took a swig of his Jagermeister and burped loudly. I rolled my eyes and carried my box of DVD's out the door, not even bothering to shut the door. I walked up to my brother's truck and put the box in the back.

"That's the rest of it." I told him as I got in the passenger seat. I looked at the grey haired nineteen-year-old. His hair fell strait to his shoulders and was almost hiding his right eye. Our eyes were equally bright blue.

"Not much, brother. Is this really all you have?" He started the truck and drove away from the curb of my father's house.

"Yeah." I looked out the window and watched as we drove away from the haunted mansion. The one I lost my best friend to… I never went back up there after that day but I probably should have… Where are you Axel?

"Riku!" I felt a shove on my shoulder.

"Huh?" I looked over at my brother.

"What's up with you?" He looked annoyed as he stared out the windshield.

"Nothing, Kadaj." I growled.

Home was now an apartment with low maintenance. There was a leak in the ceiling near the sink in the kitchen, a leak in the tub, and only half the stove worked. "It's not much, but I don't have very big paychecks."

_Because you didn't finish High school, you twat_. I kept silent.

"Mom is supposed to send in some money for me sometime soon." He put his keys on the counter in the kitchen which connected to the living room. "Here, I'll help you." This was the most we've ever done together. He was never in my life because our parents broke up when we were really young. He moved in with Mom. He showed me my room which was only two inches away from his room. It was a 10x8ft. room, so it wasn't all that bad. We got my bed in and my shelf and after we put the boxes down, I started going through them and putting everything where they go. I didn't have much, so it didn't take all that long. "And I'll give you my TV, if you want. I usually watch TV in the living room anyway."

"Thanks." I sat on my bed and looked out the small window.

"Are you hungry? I can go get some fast food."

"No, it's fine. Thanks."

"Alright." He left the room and I heard the TV switch on. I leaned my head on my palm and sighed. "Oh, I forgot to tell you that you start school tomorrow. I already set up everything yesterday. Sorry!" My brother called over the sounds of car screeches and gun shots. I groaned and laid down. It wasn't exactly late, but I went to sleep anyway.

_Beep, beep. Beep, beep._

What the…? An alarm clock? I sat up, hit snooze, and then laid back down. It was 6:00 on a Wednesday. Why is the alarm going off? And where the hell did it come from? "Riku! Get up, kiddo!" I groaned and sat up again. "I have to be at work in an hour, so I'll drive you to school." I left the bed and slowly got ready for school. Ugh.

The drive there was quick. It was only about half a mile away, which I could probably walk. The school itself was gross-looking. Graffiti on the back sides of buildings and the beige colour looked as if it'd been repainted several times, but given up on recently. I groaned and put my backpack on one shoulder, walking toward the building labeled _Office_. I pushed the window-double-doors open and walked up to the lady with dark blonde hair tied up at the top of her head. A few dreadlocks with coloured beads fell at random around her head. "Hey, I'm Riku—"

"I know who you are!" The blonde smiled. "Your brother called in yesterday. I'm Riku." She laughed. "R-I-K-K-U. Here's your schedule, hun." Rikku held out a sheet of paper and I took it gently. "Have a great day, Riku!"

"Yeah. You, too, Rikku." Now _that_ is weird. I looked over my schedule and realized I had the worst subject first. Geometry. Ugh…

I followed the room numbers until I found the right room and teacher. Of course, the teacher made me introduce myself to the whole class. The rest of my classes, I just sat in the back and got caught up with the rest of my new classmates.

"Hi!" A short kid with spiky brunette hair skipped up beside me. "I'm Sora!" The blue-eyed brunette smiled.

"Riku." I replied with almost a dead tone. I didn't mean for it to sound like that.

"And I'm Kairi." A dark-red head girl appeared at my other side. "You're a newbie." She giggled.

"Yeah?" I glared at her, flipping my hair out of my face, but it fell right back in my face.

"We can be friends!" Sora smiled brightly. I smirked and shrugged.

"Depends, can you pass the friendship test?" I joked but he seemed to take it serious.

"A test? I'm not good at tests!" He whined. The redhead laughed.

"Relax, Sora. He's only joking." She held her hands behind her back.

_Riku…_ I gasped and looked around. What was that? "Are you okay?" Kairi asked.

"Yeah… I just got the chills…" Then I saw a tall kid with bright red hair dressed in all black. His hair was spiked back and made his emerald eyes pop out. He had a diamond tattoo under each eye, but he wasn't looking in my direction. My heart jumped and beat heavily as I walked right by him into my History class.

"Well, I don't have this class right now, but I'll see you later!" Sora waved and started walking away. Kairi told me to sit next to her so I did. The bell rang and the classroom filled with chattering students. And there was the redheaded boy dressed in black with a two other people dressed the same way. He and the gut with pink layered hair had on black jeans and jacket and the blonde girl, who looked like she had antennas, had on a short black skirt, black tights, and a black jacket.

"_That's_ Organization Ex-Triple-I. They're mean guys. You don't want to mess with them." Kairi whispered.

"'Ex-triple-I'?"

Kairi laughed. "Thirteen. You know X-I-I-I?" I wasn't amused by this joke. I was only fixed on the redhead. The three of them sat in the back corner, Kairi and I sat in the middle. "The girl is Larxene." The blonde girl leaned back and kicked her legs up on the desk, sucking on a lollipop. "The gay one is Marluxia—but don't tell him that to his face." The pink-haired boy had his phone out in his face; the teacher didn't seem to mind. She nodded to the redhead that was leaning against the wall in his chair, his arms crossed over his chest. "And _that_ one is—"

"Axel." I whispered. She looked at me awkwardly.

"How did you know?" I shrugged and tried to look away, but I couldn't. "I wouldn't stare for so long if I were you. They're _really_ mean." She reached down into her backpack and pulled out a binder. Axel's eyes shifted to mine and my heart sunk. His fingers moved and a flame lit behind his fingertips. He blew it out gently and his eyes glinted in the light. Quickly, I looked down at my desk as my heart thudded against my ribcage.

_It _is_ you…_


	3. Making Friends

_**Tittle:** All That Shouldn't Be  
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_**Chapter: **Making Friends**  
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_**Rating:** M (just in case)  
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_**Disclaimer: **Characters belong to Square Enix I only own the plot._

_**Warnings:** Possible OOC, Shounen-ai, Possible Yaoi  
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_**Author's Note: **Nyaa Axelll Dx ...random_

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><p>Throughout the whole period, I glanced at that back corner and hoped they never noticed my staring. I felt something almost sharp on my arm and flinched. "Hey!" I whispered at Kairi. She giggled and stuck her tongue out. She had a pen in her hand so I looked at my arm. It read, <em>Hi Newbie! Love Kairi<em>. Except the last _'i' _was smudged from when I moved. Shaking my head and smiling, I realized that making friends was a lot easier than I had thought. I snagged the pen from her and wrote _Hi Old Lady! Love Newbie_.

"He-ey!" She giggled quietly and took her pen back.

"Children, would you like to share your discussion with the whole class?" The older looking teacher was glaring at the two of us. We looked at each other and shook our heads, trying to keep from bursting out laughing. "As I was saying." Kairi and I looked at each other and laughed quietly.

"Did he call just us _children_?" I laughed as we sat outside a different classroom.

"No, he called _you_ a child. I'm the _old lady_, remember?" We laughed together as the brunette kid stepped out of the classroom.

"What's so funny?" Sora asked as we walked toward the exit doors.

"Oh, not much. Just fooling with the teachers I guess you could say."

"Aw, I wish I had that class with you guys!" He pouted. He glanced over his shoulder. "Uh, oh. Here they come." I looked over my shoulder to see the trio in black coming this way. There was a fourth one in the same attire as the boys, just far shorter. His hair was a slate colour and it fell over his right eye. His eyes were glues to a book in his hand.

"Don't stare!" Kairi whispered as I looked forward.

"It's hard not to…" I admitted, trying not to look back. Suddenly, my shoulder felt extremely hot and I noticed the other two had been shoved by the ones in black. I looked over at my pursuer as the heat intensified on my shoulder. It was Axel.

"Just in case you haven't noticed," His voice wasn't deep, but it wasn't high pitched either. It was…just right. It made a chill slide down my spine. "We run this place, Newbie. You best watch your back, Got it Memorized?" He smirked and pushed his way between Kairi and I. I grabbed at my shoulder which, although it stung, started to cool down. I frowned and watched them walk away.

He doesn't remember me.

As soon as I got home from school, I laid down on my bed and buried my face into the pillow. My legs ached from walking, my shoulder stung from whatever the hell Axel did to it, but most of all my heart ached for realizing I had lost a friend permanently…

I guess the upside to it is that I know he's okay… But where had he disappeared to? Where has he been in these past eight years? And what the hell happened at the mansion that night? I wanted answers and I knew I wasn't going to get them.

"Riku?" I flinched at my brother's voice. "Why are you crying?" He was frowning at me as I sat up and wiped my face. I was crying? "Did something happen at school?"

I shook my head. "No. I just…I don't know."

"You know what Mom always did when I cried? She made me some soup and told me some fairytales." He smiled and chuckled. "I think you're too old for fairytales, but I can cook you up some chicken soup."

"I'm fine, thanks."

"You're very distant. I'm kinda worried about you, brother." I responded with a shrug and that only made him sigh. "Look, if it's the apartment I can find some—"

"Kadaj, it's okay. It's better than being anywhere near Dad." I assured him, wiping away the last falling tear.

"Don't fret, brother. Mom told me she'd come back to see us when she has the time. She's constantly busy it seems." He smiled and nodded to himself. "Time will tell, brother."

We sat on the couch watching some stupid TV show he liked, but I didn't complain. It was better than nothing. I leaned against my hand stared blankly at the bright screen that illuminated the pitch dark room. I wasn't really paying attention to the characters or the words; they all just seemed to jumble into an annoying background static. My eyes drooped, but I caught myself and opened them back up.

And there was the redhead in black standing there in front of me. I jumped up on my feet, but he had disappeared. I searched the room for him—where did he go? Kadaj groaned and fell over onto my side of the couch. He said something, but I couldn't understand him. I sighed as I turned the TV off and left the room, dragging my feet into my bedroom. The moonlight shone into the dark room from the window, giving the walls a soft blue tint. I looked to the sky and watched the stars twinkle against the black abyss. "Why don't you remember me?" I asked them but I received no answer. Disappointed, I fell into bed.

_Beep, beep. Beep, beep. Beep, beep._

I hit the snooze button and sat up, yawned, then pulled myself out of bed. My shower wasn't very warm so I assumed Kadaj had already showered. I pulled on jeans and a T-shirt and grabbed my backpack. "Ready to go, brother?" Kadaj patted my shoulder and I flinched as pain shot through my arm. "Whoa, what was that?" He looked at me odd and grabbed his keys.

"I don't know…" I touched my shoulder carefully as we walked out the door.

Sora was in my first, third, and fifth hour classes, I noticed, and Kairi was in my third and sixth hour class, which meant more drawings on my arms. I had the first lunch with both of them and Kairi showed me more of "Organization _Ex-Triple-I._" She also explained that Sora called them Organization X-I-I-I for the longest time and that's where they got "Ex-Triple-I." I thought it was dumb, but I never told them that.

Axel had the second lunch.

My heart beat hard against my chest as the end of fifth hour bell rang. Sora and Kairi caught up to me and we walked through the crowd of students toward History. The trio was standing together outside the door again and I tried not to look at them. My shoulder burned as we passed them and I couldn't help but steal a glance at the redhead before I entered the classroom. His eyes sparkled almost as he looked at me. I bit my lip and quickly looked away. _Damn it._

My shoulder burned throughout the whole hour, but I pretended not to notice because I could feel the trio's eyes on me. I wanted to look, but I forced myself to concentrate on the notes we had to take. Only, my mind wouldn't let go of Axel. It really bothered me that he didn't remember our friendship eight years ago. We had always gotten in trouble together and I never thought they'd be forgotten, especially by Axel. Maybe he hit his head when he fell off the railing and forgot all about me in the closet. Maybe the people that showed up took him to a hospital. _"Get away from me, you freaks!"_ I shuddered and shook my head.

"You okay?" Kairi whispered. I nodded and the bell rang for school to end. I shoved my notebook into my backpack and stood up, throwing my backpack over my shoulder. "You seem angry." Kairi looked at me and cocked her head. "You sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine." I told her, but I wasn't so sure myself. We started walking toward the door and I focused on Kairi instead of looking toward the trio. "Sorry, I got the chills again." She smiled and shook her head.

"That happens a lot with you. What's the matter? Got a ghost haunting you or something?" She brushed some strands of hair out of her face and looked up at me. "Well?"

"Maybe. It's only happened recently." Without realizing it, I stole a glance at the group in black. They never seemed to speak to each other or even look at each other.

"You really gotta stop doing that. You're gonna get your ass kicked if you don't." Kairi warned, pulling on my arm.

"You got a problem, kid?" The girl in black growled as she walked between Kairi and I, stopping us in our path. Her blue eyes were glued to me as she propped her elbow on my shoulder. "I can solve it for you." She grinned evilly.

"Maybe if you'd get the hell off of me, there wouldn't be a problem." I pushed her elbow off my shoulder.

"Riku!" Kairi gasped, grabbing onto my elbow. "Sorry, he's a Newbie—doesn't know any better." I rolled my eyes and noticed that everyone was watching.

"Maybe we should teach him a lesson or two." The pink haired one put his hands on his hips and smiled.

"What are _you_ gonna teach me? How to do my make up?" His jaw set and his eyes narrowed, but the redhead seemed to enjoy the joke. The pink haired boy reached over and grabbed my shirt.

"I'll kill you, pinprick." His growl sounded like that of a lion.

"Don't break a nail." I felt Kairi's hands grip my arm tighter.

His fist clenched and rose up to strike me, but Axel grabbed his wrist. The other boy looked at the redhead. "What the hell?" He glared at Axel, but Axel only smiled. "You're such a _dick_." I was released and my attacker stormed away.

"What the hell, Axel?" The blonde smacked Axel's shoulder and ran after the other boy. Axel looked at me, winked, and walked away. My heart skipped and I felt tears in my eyes. What _the hell_ was that?

"Riku, you bad_ass_!" Kairi giggled. Sora ran up to us and hugged me tightly.

"You're _so_ cool!" Sora joined Kairi in a giggle fit, but I couldn't share their feelings toward this situation. I stared after the redheaded boy as a pain grew in the emptiness of my chest.


	4. Remember

_**Tittle:** All That Shouldn't Be  
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_**Chapter: **Remember**  
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_**Rating:** M  
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_**Disclaimer: **Characters belong to Square Enix I only own the plot._

_**Warnings:** Possible OOC, Shounen-ai, Possible Yaoi  
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_**Author's Note: **mrow... I don't know how long this story will beeee...  
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><p>The sun was setting, but I felt no need to leave the park. I was comfortable with the quietness of the cricket's chirps and the cold metal table against my face. I wasn't near falling asleep although I wished I was. I couldn't stop thinking of him and I knew I shouldn't have been. I missed him so much and I can't even tell if he remembers me or not. He's so goddamn <em>confusing<em>!

"Hey, stranger." My heart sunk at the familiar voice and tears crept into my eyes. Slowly, I lifted my head to look at the figure leaning against a pole that held up the awning. Of course, it was him. I only stared at the redheaded boy who was doing the same, neither of us smiling. I shook my head.

"You're not real." I stated. It _had_ to have been another dream. "Just a dream…"

"You dream of me?" He smiled wide and my heart jumped. He's real. I didn't answer him. "It's been so long, Riku."

"Too long."

"Riku…" His smiled faded and he walked up to the bench to sit down. "You're mad at me…"

"And I have every right to be! You disappear for eight years then act like you don't even remember me until you're away from your friends!" I didn't mean to snap. His eyebrows furrowed.

"They are _not_ my friends." He shook his head and looked away. "Never mind that. I'm not here to explain them to you."

"I get it." I stood up and grabbed my backpack from the ground, causing him to look up at me. "It was the past. You have a better life without me. I get it. Just don't say it." I started to walk away, fighting back tears.

"Riku, that's not what I was going to say." He was at my side but I didn't look at him, my hair veiling my eyes. "Would you stop for a minute?" I ignored him. "Riku!" Axel's hands gripped my shoulders and turned me toward him but I shoved him away.

"Eight years, Axel! Eight _fucking_ years! You never came back for me! You left me there in the goddamn closet and left me to think you were dead!" The tears were spilling now and I couldn't control them. "You didn't even _try_ to contact me! To tell me you were okay! And _now_ you're talking to me? Because _I_ found _you_! Because I ruined your whole idea to keep away from me!"

"Riku…"

"No!" I wiped my tears on the back of my hands. "There's no more excuses! I hate you, Axel! I—" Axel's hands cupped my face and his lips were pressed to mine. My heart stopped for a moment as I stared at the redhead's shut eyes. He pulled away slowly and I could feel my face heat up. His eyes opened and a tear fell down his cheek.

"I've wanted to do that for eleven years…" He whispered. My heart stung as he stared at me with his emerald pools of hypnosis.

"_Eleven_ years…?" I breathed and he dropped his hands to his sides.

"I came here to tell you I'm sorry. It wasn't my choice to forget about you. I didn't want to. I was forced to forget about everyone and start new." Nothing was making sense. "Riku, I don't even remember what my family looks like or if I had any siblings or if I had any friends… But I remember you. I remember everything about you. I refuse to forget about you because I _love_ you." My chest felt like it caved in. "Of all the people in my lifetime, you are the _only_ person I care about. I was taken away from you and I fought tooth and nail to get back to you and tell you everything. I failed, obviously…" He rubbed the back of his neck and looked away. I didn't know how to react and I knew he was waiting for me to say something but I didn't have the voice to say anything. He sighed and looked at me. "It's fine if you hate me. I understand…" He turned away and started leaving.

"Axel…" I sighed and he stopped, looking over his shoulder. "I'm sorry… I just…assumed…" He turned his body to face me.

"It doesn't matter, Riku. You don't have to explain yourself. Eight years is a long time and trust me, I hated it. I never wanted to be away from you and I assumed you forgot about me, too. I had many doubts about you, but I held onto the memory of you..." He walked toward me until he was only two feet away from me. "I have to go… I'm not supposed to be here and neither are you…" His eyes fell to my lips then back to my eyes. "But before I go, may I ask for one last kiss…?" My heart thudded and I could feel my face becoming warm again.

My best friend wanted to kiss me…and I can't say I didn't like it the first time… I didn't know what to say. I was stuck in the middle of yes and no and I knew he was growing impatient. "Never mind. Forget it." He shook his head and started walking away. "Go home, Riku…"

"Axel,"

"Go home, Riku. It's not safe after dark." He disappeared around a corner as I looked up to the sky. Stars were appearing and the orange of the sunset was disappearing. With one last glance at the corner where Axel disappeared, I hurried home.

I pushed the door open and Kadaj was sitting on the sofa, leaning against his arms on his knees. He jumped up when I came in. "Where were you?" I shut the door and didn't answer him. "Riku, talk to me. It's not safe after dark." I froze as my heart skipped.

"I know…" I breathed as Kadaj walked up beside me.

"Where were you? I don't want you roaming around at night anymore, it's too dangerous. Mom would be _so_ mad if she found out you got killed under my watch." He babbled. I rolled my eyes and went to my room, shutting the door behind me. "Riku, what's wrong?"

"Tired." I tossed my backpack to the ground and laid on my bed. I wanted to see Axel again… I wanted to hear him speak those same words to me over and over… I wanted to feel his lips against mine again and I regretted not answering him… My heart ached and tears spilled. He was the only one to ever see me cry… Even when we were kids, he'd always comfort my tears… Well, now he's not here, Riku, and you blew your chance when you didn't answer. I wanted to scream and hit something, but I knew I shouldn't.

_Beep, beep. Beep, beep._

I slapped the alarm clock and got up, grabbed some clothes, and then went into the bathroom across the hall. The water wasn't very hot again, but I won't complain. The water still felt nice and relaxing. When I finished, I pulled my pants on and caught a glimpse of something on my shoulder in the almost-foggy mirror. I turned so I could see it better. It was a dark scar that looked like the letters _VIII_. I raised a brow, trying to think back to a time where I had scarred myself there but I couldn't recall anything. "Riku, are you ready, yet?" Shaking my head, I pulled my shirt on and walked out.

The whole ride there, Axel wouldn't leave my though process. I tried to focus on anything and everything, but Axel would pop right back into my head. It was worse going to my first hour class. I couldn't focus on anything I was supposed to be learning and I missed a whole set of notes. I didn't care anyway, I just wanted to get to History.

"Riku!" Kairi's voice snapped me out of my trance. "You're like a zombie." She shook her head.

"What's wrong, Riku?" Sora stared up at me as we walked.

"Nothing's wrong." But nothing's right, either. "Just dead, I guess. I didn't get much sleep last night." It was a lie, but whatever.

"You sure? You've been acting weird all day. You didn't even eat anything at lunch." Kairi put her hand on my forehead. "You're not sick, are you?" I moved away from her hand.

"I'm fine. I told you, nothing's wrong. I'm just tired." And there he was, leaning against the wall next to the door to History. My heart leaped, but I looked away from him. During the whole class period, I forced myself to keep my eyes away, but he still never left my thoughts.

"Riku, he's staring at you…" Kairi whispered, nudging me with her elbow.

"So?" I whispered back.

"It's creeping me out."

"Then why are you looking?" I looked at her and kept myself from looking the other way.

"Because it's creeping me out… He looks like he's going to _eat_ you…"

"Who?" I asked, trying extremely hard not to look at him.

"Axel." My heart melted. "He's been staring since class started and it's almost time to go. You don't find that creepy?"

"No." I turned back to my notes and jotted down some of the things I caught the teacher saying.

"But—" The bell cut her off and she shrugged, grabbing her stuff and standing up. I stood up and followed her out the door. "You really don't think that's weird?"

"What? Him staring? Yeah it's weird, but it doesn't bother me." That much. "Why does it bother you?"

"Oh, um… I don't know. It's just weird." Her stutter made it obvious, but I wasn't going to say anything. "I'll see you later, 'kay?" She waved goodbye when we got outside the school. I waved back and started walking home. I knew he was following.


	5. Marked

_**Tittle:** All That Shouldn't Be  
><em>

_**Chapter: **Marked**  
><strong>_

_**Rating:** M  
><em>

_**Disclaimer: **Characters belong to Square Enix I only own the plot._

_**Warnings:** Possible OOC, Shounen-ai, Possible Yaoi  
><em>

_**Author's Note: **Bleh_

* * *

><p>He followed me all the way to Kadaj's apartment and I couldn't take ignoring him much longer. "I know you're there." I told him as I started unlocking the door.<p>

"I know." Axel replied.

"Then why are you hiding?" I looked over at the corner of the building as he turned around it, walking toward me.

"I'm not allowed to hide?" He smiled, leaning against the door frame.

"What do you want?" My question made his smile fade.

"I want to make it up to you…" His eyes fell. "I don't want you to hate me… And I don't want this silence to keep up… I want to be your friend again, Riku…" Our eyes met.

"Axel… You've never been my friend…" He flinched and I realized how that sounded. "I mean, you've never been _just_ a friend. You've been so much more than a friend. I was so lost when you disappeared… My dad started abusing me more because I was home more and I cried a lot… I missed you and he knew it… He didn't like it and I paid for it…"

"Riku…" He ran the back of his fingers against my cheek. "I'm so sorry…"

"Don't be. I'm tired of people feeling sorry for me. Especially _you_ of all people… You've done so much for me and yet I've never done anything for you."

"The only thing you can do for me, Riku, is never leave…" He laid his hand on my other cheek and laid his forehead on mine. Automatically my hands went to his hips. "Stay here with me…please…" He whispered.

"Axel…"

"I'm sorry…" He dropped his hands and started to move away, but I pulled him back, forcing our lips together. It didn't take him long to kiss back. As our lips moved in sync with each other's, I started feeling a little dizzy in astonishment. I'm kissing my best friend, who I've known for eleven years. My hands went to his face as his slid underneath my backpack. My fingers curled into his soft, red hair as our tongues touched. My pulse raced underneath my skin. We ended with a few pecks and our foreheads glued together. Our eyes opened and he smiled. "I've missed you so much…" He whispered and I slid my arms down to wrap them around his back, laying my head on his shoulder. He hugged me tightly.

"I love friends." We jumped away from each other at Kadaj's voice. "Introductions are much better, though." He laughed as he walked toward us. "I'm Kadaj." My brother held out his hand.

"I have to go." Axel turned away from Kadaj's hand and walked the other way.

"Well, he's real friendly." Kadaj scoffed, pushing the door open. "Mom wouldn't like him."

"Dad didn't either…" I grunted as I followed him into the apartment.

"What do you mean?" He shut the door and I walked into my room.

"We've known each other since we were five… Dad didn't like him…" I didn't really feel like telling him the whole story.

"Okay?" He appeared in the hallway as I sat on my bed, going through the papers in my backpack and taking out homework. "Anyway, I'm going to visit some friends this weekend, want to come?" I shrugged and let my backpack fall to the floor. "We're going to party." He sang but I wasn't interested.

"I'd probably have to be older than twenty to even be there."

"I'm not older than twenty and I'm going." He folded his arms across his chest.

"That doesn't mean you're not going to get drunk or high." He stared at me with no comeback. "Take a taxi." I suggested.

"I'm not that dumb." He growled, turning away.

_I beg to differ._

The sun was set and my homework was finished, but my desire to see Axel only grew. Nothing good was on TV and Kadaj didn't have a DVD player, so I watched some boring documentary on sea horses and sea dragons. "I'll see you later." Kadaj waved as he walked toward the door. "Call me if you need anything. The number is on the counter."

"Later." I waved back as he shut the door behind him. I sighed and flipped through channels. In ten minutes, I got extremely bored and turned the TV off. When I stood up, there was a knock at the door. I groaned and dragged my feet to the door and my heart leaped when I saw it was Axel. I pulled the door open and he instantly wrapped his arms around me and kissed me long and hard.

"I'm not supposed to be here, but I couldn't take it any longer…" He explained after we separated. I shut the door behind him and lead him to the couch.

"Why did you leave?" We sat down facing each other.

"Because I'm not supposed to be here."

"You keep saying that… Where are you supposed to be, then?" I waited for an answer, but he just looked away. "Axel,"

"It doesn't matter. I'm just not supposed to be here."

"You're always getting in trouble." I shook my head and sighed.

"Only for you." He looked at me and smiled, running his fingers down my face. "And for _you_ only. Got it Memorized?" His index finger stopped at my chin and pulled my face to his. His sweet taste was overwhelming and it made me want even more. My hands slid through his hair as I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck, pulling him closer. The shoulder with the scars started to burn and Axel jumped up. "Shit!" He yelled, turning around and storming into the kitchen.

"What? What did I do?" I tried to ignore the burning feeling as I sat up. He was cursing and pacing back and forth. "Axel, please tell me what's wrong…"

"I can't do this. This is wrong." His words stabbed at my heart.

"What do you mean…?"

"Riku," He walked back to the couch and sat down, grabbing my hands. "You have to stay here no matter what. Don't go outside, okay?" My shoulder increased in heat and I hissed in pain. He winced and frowned. "I'm sorry, Angel… I only did that to protect you…"

"Did what?"

"I claimed you. Usually we're supposed to do it to women, but I marked you instead and Larxene is trying to get to _you_ since she hates me. She followed me I think and that's why you're hurting… It's my fault…"

"Marked me?" He sighed and I felt a little dumb.

"Have you looked at your shoulder? It should say my number. Doesn't matter. I'm not going to explain that to you." He turned toward the door and stood up, pulling me with him. He dragged me into the hallway and opened the closet door, pushing me in. "I won't be long."

"Axel, don't you _dare_ leave me in here!" I tried to get out but he pushed me back in.

"I'll be right back, I promise." He leaned in and gave me a quick kiss before cracking the door. He put his finger to his lips and shut the door fully.

"Axel!" I called, but it was no use. The closet was dark and a tight fit and it was quite uncomfortable, but I stayed there for Axel's sake. I heard the front door open with a bang.

"Where is he?" A girl's voice was almost muffled.

"Nowhere for you to find, cupcake." Axel sounded so casual it almost made me mad.

"I can hear his heartbeat, nimrod. I know you're hiding him. Show him to me!"

"Can't do that, pumpkin."

"Knock off the pet names or I'll knock off your face!"

"You can do that, Number Twelve." It was quiet for a moment.

"You're such a _dick_! _You're_ not even supposed to mark boys! I'll tell Number One!"

"Oh, so you'll tell on _me_ but not your boyfriend, Number Eleven? You two are _so_ hypocritical."

"God you're an asshole!"

"Ouch. That hurt, sweetheart. But I won't let you near him. _I_ marked him, you stay away from him or I'll rip your insides out and display them for everyone to see, Got it Memorized?" There was a long silence and the burning feeling faded. The front door was slammed shut and the closet was opened. I pressed my back against the shelves and stared at Axel. He frowned. "I won't hurt you."

"What was that?"

"That was Larxene trying to steal you away from me." He shrugged and looked down.

"Why?"

"I'd rather not explain that to you…" He looked up at me and held out his hand. "Please…"

"Tell me why, first."

He sighed and bit his lip. "To kill you…"


	6. Flashback

_**Tittle:** All That Shouldn't Be  
><em>

_**Chapter: **Flashback**  
><strong>_

_**Rating:** M  
><em>

_**Disclaimer: **Characters belong to Square Enix I only own the plot._

_**Warnings:** Possible OOC, Shounen-ai, Possible Yaoi  
><em>

_**Author's Note: **Bleh._

* * *

><p>~Eight Years Ago~<p>

We laughed together as we played with my toy figurines. It felt like hours had passed but I didn't care. I was with my best friend and that was all that mattered. He made everything better with the gentle look of his eyes. He was my safe haven.

My thoughts scattered when we heard the front door of the mansion open. We fell silent and listened for whatever opened the door. It shut with a loud bang and I jumped up, putting all the toys back into my bucket I put the bucket back into the closet. We heard footsteps coming up the stairs and I grabbed Riku by the back of his shirt, pushing him gently into the closet. "Axel!" He whispered.

"Shh! I'll go and see who it is…" I shut the door as quietly as possible. "Don't come out until I come back…"

"Axel…" I put my finger to my lips and shut the door all the way then tip toed to the door. The footsteps got closer as I pressed myself against the door, peeking out the door. Three or four dark figures turned their heads toward me and my heart dropped. I yelled and ran down the hallway as they headed for me fast. One grabbed my arm and I jumped away, hitting the railing. The rail cracked from my weight and snapped, causing me to fall through. I hit the floor on my back, making me lose all my breath. I groaned and touched my back. When I opened my eyes, the figures were standing over me, four pairs of glowing eyes and sharp teeth stared down at me. "Shit!" I croaked. "Get away from me! You freaks!" I swatted at them and cursed at them. Something hit me on the head and everything went black.

I opened my eyes to a dimly lit…room? It was more like a cave with one candle holder. My head throbbed with pain and my back ached. I carefully sat up and looked stretched, whimpering at the pain. I was on a metal bed with nothing but a thin sheet to cover me. I reached over to grab the blanket and pull it off of me, but I froze at the sight of my arm. It was red with thick scales and my fingers had long black nails. I yelled and jumped off the bed, realizing I was nude and my whole body was covered with these weird scales. I had about six two- to one-inch spikes on each of my shoulders and I noticed that I had small black wings with a wingspan of two feet. I ripped the blanket from the bed and looked into the metal. The reflection wasn't at all great, but it showed that I had small horns on each side of my forehead at my hairline and two more that looked like they were going to curl at the back of my head around the long, pointed ears. My eyes shimmered green and my pupils were slits like a cat's. I screamed and jumped back, hitting the ground on my ass and realizing that I had a tail, too. Again, I screamed, jumping up into a corner. I stood there, searching the room for an escape. There was a large wooden door with no handle and a small wooden table complete with a small wooden chair. I saw that there was a tray on top of the table with some kind of food on top of it. Hunger wasn't a problem for me right now. Tears built up in my eyes and I sank down into a ball and cried into my knees. I didn't want to be here… I didn't want to look like this… Riku would be afraid of me…

Riku…

What would he think? He'd hate me… He'd never look at me… I should have kissed him when I had the chance to… Now I'll never get to… He's gone forever and I'm a beast…

I jumped when the door slid open and a monster with a long Pterodactyl looking beak stepped in. His arms were connected with wings that connected to his hips and he had black and white feathers that covered his large wings. He had two smaller arms underneath his upper shoulders and his body was covered in black scales all the way down to his talon feet. I shrieked as this figure stared at me with one eye. The right eye was shut. "Hey, kiddo. Don't scream so loud, some of us are nocturnal." The monster shrugged and shuddered, curling into himself. Slowly, he turned into a human with long black hair and a streak of white. His peach skin was uncovered so I looked away. "You shouldn't look away from your elders, kiddo. It's rude." When I looked back at him, he had an eye patch over his right eye. His other eye was a piercing cat's yellow. He smiled and I noticed a scar on his left cheek. "You like your new form?" He snickered, crouching down on his heels. I stared at him and wiped tears from my face. "Come on, kiddo. Talk to me. Here, let's start with this: Hi, I'm Number Two, also known as Xigbar." He held his hand out to me and I stared at his hands. "I won't bite. That part's already over." He smirked. Slowly, I scooted toward him and touched his hand with mine. He gripped it carefully and shook it.

"I'm Axel…" I told him with a quiet voice.

"Nice to meet you, Axel. Number Eight."

Xigbar was my trainer. He taught me how to fight, how to hunt, and how to control my Changing, but he mostly taught me how to forget. I didn't want to forget Riku, but I kept that to myself and reminded myself of Riku every night before I fell asleep. It was a routine for eight full years.

When I turned fifteen, Number One—Xemnas—ordered for some of us to go to high school to "mark our territory" and become stronger and smarter. I took it as an insult, but I couldn't disobey orders. So I went through the hell of school, but I was never bothered because I was with my group in black. No one wanted to mess with us.

~Present: Riku~

"So…you're…"

"I don't know _what_ I am." Axel had his head in his hands, sitting on the other side of the couch. "We don't really have a…" He looked up at me and frowned. "You don't believe me…"

"Well, not really, no…" Half of me wanted to believe me but the other half was calling bullshit.

"What if I showed you?" He challenged, standing up. "Would that prove it?"

"Yes." I laughed, but he didn't seem amused.

"Riku, I'm serious!" He pulled off his jacket and revealed a black tank top over pale skin then stripped off his tank top. I blushed and looked away as he pulled his pants off. I heard him growl and his shadow changed shapes. "Look at me, Riku! Does this prove it?" I turned to look at him and froze. His skin was red and scaled as he said in his explanation. His wings stretched to his arm length and his tail swished side to side as he stared at me with green cat eyes. His spiked hair seemed to flow down his back. "You're scared of me." His teeth were sharp and seemed to have three layers. "I fucking knew it. You're afraid of me and you don't want to look at me. Then look away!" I couldn't look away from him no matter how hard I tried. But it wasn't because I wanted to. "Look away!"

"I can't!" I shut my eyes and hung my head. "I can't! I don't want to!" I stood up and stared at him. "Axel, you don't understand…" I walked up to him and cupped his face in my hands. "I don't care what you look like… I love you the same no matter what…" I pressed my lips against his gently, curling my fingers in his hair. His strong arms wrapped around my back and pulled me against him tightly. I could feel him changing underneath my hands and I shuddered. I pulled away and he was back to his normal…nude body. I coughed and tried not to look down. Axel smirked and pulled me closer.

"What's the matter, Angel?" He kissed my neck. I bit my lip as he trailed down my neck to my collar bone.

"Axel…" I groaned, my face burning red. He started kissing back up my neck but I pushed him away. "Please, stop." It was quiet between us for a while before he sighed and picked up his clothes. I shut my eyes and pressed my hands to my forehead. I was getting a little dizzy by all this. My best friend whom I lost for eight years has kissed me, undressed in front of me, and told me a girl was trying to kill me.

"Riku—"

"Wait, Larxene was trying to mark me, right?" I looked up at him now that he was fully clothed. He glared at me for a moment.

"Yes, why?" He looked away from me and zipped up his jacket.

"And by marking me means she'd kill me?" My hand went to my shoulder as his eyes shot to me. "You're planning to kill me!" I backed away from him.

"No! That's not it at all!" He waved his hands in front of him and stepped closer to me. "Riku, you don't understand!"

"Stay away from me!"

"Riku! Listen!" He grabbed my face between his hands and made me look at him. My heart raced as he shut his eyes and laid his forehead on mine. "The only reason I marked you is to keep from others trying to mark you… I didn't want to lose you again… I didn't want someone _else_ to kill you, Got it Memorized?" His eyes opened and his irises glistened without light.

"But you still have to kill me." It was obvious, but he wouldn't admit it.

"I'd never even _think_ about killing you… I'd kill myself before I killed you…" Somehow, I doubted he would abide by that.


	7. Dead

_**Tittle:** All That Shouldn't Be  
><em>

_**Chapter: **Dead**  
><strong>_

_**Rating:** M  
><em>

_**Disclaimer: **Characters belong to Square Enix I only own the plot._

_**Warnings:** Possible OOC, Shounen-ai, Possible Yaoi  
><em>

_**Author's Note: **Bleh_

* * *

><p>I opened my eyes to a grey-ish pillow snuggling my face. I groaned and sat up, stretching my arms out. The room was dimly lit by the orange of the sun and the TV murmured quietly about a commercial for a cleaning product. I yawned as I stood up and headed for the kitchen. I pulled out a bowl and a half-empty bag of wannabe fruit loops and poured myself a bowl of cereal. After I put my stuff away, I turned around to find a girl tip-toeing toward the door. I chuckled to myself. "The lock goes the other way." I warned her, making her jump almost ten feet high. "Just thought I'd let you know. And don't worry about making too much noise. My brother isn't a light sleeper." She just nodded and went for the door quietly anyway. I shook my head and locked the door after her, carrying my bowl into the living room. The news was on and I had nothing better to do so I turned it up and sat down.<p>

"—found in a dumpster about four or five blocks away from the Destiny Islands Apartments. The body has not been identified and officials think it's connected to the disappearance of Roxas Strife, who went missing last week. Still, we don't know for sure." My heart sunk. Destiny Islands Apartments? Isn't that where I'm living? And where's Axel? Was he the one behind this? "We were unable to get any footage of the body, but witnesses say that you could mostly see the bones of the victim. I won't go into very much detail, but you can view the whole story on our website at…" I stared at the screen, my cereal long forgotten.

Kadaj walked passed the living room and into the kitchen, groaning and opening a cabinet where he kept the medicine. He mumbled a few words and took some pills. "Morning, brother…" He sighed, plopping down in a wooden chair.

"Long night?" I asked, remembering to eat my cereal.

"Rough night…" He laid his head back and rubbed his forehead with one hand.

"A body was found down the street, I think."

"Nothing new." He sounded bored and hung-over. Nothing new? Geez. I moved to the wrong part of town. "Might be that kid from last week…what's-his-face…"

"Roxas?"

"Oh, there was another one?" I rolled my eyes and got up to put my empty bowl in the sink. "Mom would have gone ape-shit if she found out either of us were kidnapped." Kadaj laughed to himself and laid his head down on the plastic fold-out table. "She'd tear this place up." I didn't say anything, mostly because I didn't know our mom, but I didn't feel like talking to him. "I don't really get how kids get kidnapped. How dumb do you have to be to—"

"It's not that they're dumb, asshole. Sometimes they get attacked…" I turned away and went to my room, biting my lip.

"Brother?" I heard the chair squeak across the tile floor as I pulled off my shirt and tossed it on the floor. Kadaj was in my doorway as I opened the closet door. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. It's just…bad memories…"

"Sorry. I didn't mean to insult you."

"You didn't insult me. I just remember not being able to help him…"

"Riku," A knock at the front door interrupted him. He sighed and left the room. I exchanged my jeans for a clean pair and pulled on my belt, following him out into the living room.

And there he was; my tall, redheaded pyromaniac friend looking at me with hypnotizing emerald eyes. "I was looking for Riku." Axel nodded toward me and I went back into my room to grab a white tank top and put on my shoes. I walked outside as I pulled my shirt on and Kadaj shut the door without a word. "He really doesn't like me." Axel laughed as we turned the corner.

"Since when did that stop you?" I said a little bored.

"Never has." He pinned me to the wall with one hand and the other touched my face. "Never will." His lips hovered over mine.

"It stopped you yesterday." I countered. The corner of his lip twitch and he moved away.

"That's only because I…" He glanced at me then started walking away.

"Because you what?" I followed him down the sidewalk.

"It's a nice day, ain't it?" I rolled my eyes and caught up with him.

"Too much sun."

"I agree. Let's go to the park, eh?" The short walk there was quiet between us and it sort of bugged me.

"Why did you leave?" I asked when we were waiting at an intersection.

"What?"

"Why did you leave last night, just to come back in the morning?" I leaned against the light pole as Axel stared across the street.

"I already told you. I'm not supposed to be there or here or anywhere without them knowing." He closed his eyes and shoved his hands in the pockets of his jacket.

"Are they all like you?"

"We all look different in our full form. Larxene looks a lot like a queen-bee-human-thing. Marluxia looks like…like a garden…thing… I don't know. He looks weird. Zexion looks like a creepy shadow thing with four eyes—I think he's the creepiest by far."

"Zexion?"

"He's the short kid with his face in his book. Number Six." The light changed and we both took our time walking across the crosswalk. "Xigbar looks like a Pterodactyl with feathers and Number One… He's a shape shifter so I don't really know his real form."

"And you look like a dragon." I smirked.

"Don't make fun of the Pyro." He looked at me and winked, blowing out a small fire from his nose. I jumped back and swatted away the smoke.

"What the hell?" I growled as he laughed to himself. "Douche."

"You love me."

"I don't know why." I mumbled as I caught up to him again.

"Ouch." He pouted. We got to the park and sat at the bench, not caring that there were a few kids and a mother on the play ground.

"That doesn't hurt?"

"What you said? Yes, it did." He stuck his nose in the air and leaned back against the table.

"No not that. The thing you did with the fire."

"Ouch again!" He sighed. "No. Not at all. I mean, it hurts if I draw it all out but that's only because I'm breathing out all my air. Like if you let out a huge breath and just kept going. It hurts your lungs after a while. But I'm immune to burns." I felt a pang of sadness and looked at my hand where Axel had burned me by accident. The scar wasn't as puffy as it was ten years ago, but it was still noticeable. "I still have all my scars, don't worry." Scars to us were like friendship bracelets to little kids. His hand fell on mine and his thumb brushed over my scar. "I remember this." He whispered, smiling down at my hand. "I was so stupid." His laughed was shaky and I thought I could see tears in his eyes.

"_We_ were so stupid. We were also kids." I shrugged and he reached up to push my hair out of my eyes. His hand rested on my face and his eyes stared into mine.

"I miss it. I wish I was never taken away from you."

"Axel, stop it." I pushed his hand away. He frowned and leaned away from me.

"What's stopping you?"

"It's just weird… We were best friends for three years, lost each other for eight years, and now we're…kissing…" I shook my head. "And I didn't even know I was gay." Axel's laugh made me jump.

"I've felt this way since I laid eyes on you. I knew I wanted to kiss you from the start. And it got worse with the separation. I started to realize how much I really loved you." His smile faded as he stared off in the distance. "I cried a lot. And I never cry."

"I know."

"Neither do you." He looked at me with his saddening frown. "You really scared me the other night. You really meant it."

"Axel… I didn't know…"

"I know." He cupped my face again and I let him. "Please, if you don't want me to kiss you anymore, please tell me now." My heart thudded in my ears, drowning out my conscience as his face got closer to mine. My eyes shut as our lips touched.

"Come on, sweetheart, time to go." The mother called. My face burned as I pushed Axel away. He groaned and laid his head back.

"If she wouldn't have said anything, would you still be kissing me?" His growl sent chills down my spine but I didn't answer. I didn't know how to answer. "God dammit!" His fist slammed against the table as he stood up, leaving a dent in the metal. I watched him walk away, forcing tears back. My voice was gone and my throat was dry and I died a little more with each step he took.

_Don't go…_


	8. VIII

_**Tittle:** All That Shouldn't Be  
><em>

_**Chapter: **Dead**  
><strong>_

_**Rating:** M  
><em>

_**Disclaimer: **Characters belong to Square Enix I only own the plot._

_**Warnings:** Possible OOC, Shounen-ai  
><em>

_**Author's Note: **Fact: I hate reading love stories, but it's the only thing I can write. *shot*  
><em>

* * *

><p>Axel was long gone and the sun was setting again but my shoulder was burning with unbelievable pain. I held my shoulder and bit my arm to try and forget the pain but it only continued on. When I tasted a metallic liquid, I released my arm from my teeth and groaned, laying my head on the table. "Having trouble?" I jolted up and saw Larxene sitting across from me. I put my arm down and glared at the blonde.<p>

"No." I growled but she only smiled and crossed her legs. She ran a hand through her hair and I noticed two blonde antennas flowing back with her hair. "What do _you_ want?" Her smile curled into an evil grin and she stood up and leaned over the table to be in my face.

"Your blood." She snickered as my heart sunk. I tried not to show any fear. "You can't hide anything from me, idiot. I can hear your heartbeat." She ran her hand through my hair and down my cheek. I jerked my face away and struggled to get away from the table. My shoulder pulsed lava as she appeared in front of me. I fell back and her hand caught my throat, lifting me back to my feet. Breathing was impossible now but I tried to be calm to be able to swing my foot into her stomach. She caught it with her other hand easily and an electric shock sparked, sending a sharp pain though my leg. I screamed silently and tried to gulp in air. Everything was going black and the only thing I could hear was Larxene's laughter.

There was a blast of heat and I was released, hitting the ground painfully. I gasped in air and felt my throat. Everything blurred back to reality as I sat up, holding my head. There was a dragon-looking-thing standing in front of me protectively and Larxene was brushing fire off her skirt. "I should have known you'd be back." She growled. "Give me the damn boy! _You're _not gonna do anything with him!"

"Over my dead body!" The dragon snarled. The blonde roared as she ran for the dragon and jumped up. Her clothes and skin seemed to rip open and a giant yellow wasp appeared in her place as she landed on the dragon. A burst of flames shoved the wasp back. "Riku! Run!" I tried to stand, but it hurt my leg to get up. The wasp flew straight for me but was pulled back and thrown to the ground. "Try!" Painfully, I got up and headed home as quickly as my limp would take me.

Kadaj wasn't home when I arrived, thankfully. I shut all the windows and locked the door. The lights were left out in fear of either of them finding me. But they already knew where I lived and they could hear my heart beat. I had no where but here to hide.

Sighing, I laid on the couch. This is so weird… Maybe it's a long dream… I just need to wake up… I shut my eyes and waited for sleep to take over. "Riku?" My heart sunk at the sound of Axel's voice. "Are you okay?" I didn't answer. "I know you're awake, Riku… Please talk to me…" I sat up and looked around the room for the red head.

"She's trying to kill me."

"And I will protect you until the end of my life. Got it Memorized?" I felt the cushion lean a little and assumed he was sitting next to me. I leaned away from him. "I won't touch you, I promise…"

"Turn on the light." I would myself but my leg would have disagreed.

"I'd rather not…" It was quiet for a moment.

"Axel, turn on the light."

"Fine." The couch shifted and it was a few moments before the dim living room light was on. Axel stood by the door with his hand lingering on the light switch and my heart sunk even deeper when I saw his face. His nose and lips had blood smeared across his cheek and his right eye looked like it was going to bruise badly. He had red slashes across the side of his neck and his hands looked like they were swelling and one of them had blood smeared all over it's back. "Excuse me." He turned away and headed for the bathroom. I watched him in shock before he disappeared into the hallway. _This is my fault._ I got up and limped into the bathroom. "If you're hurt, then you shouldn't be moving." He advised, turning the water on.

"You, too." He didn't respond. "Axel, I'm sorry. I should have left when you did…"

"I told you it's dangerous after dark." He splashed his face with water. "And it's not entirely your fault. I shouldn't have left you alone." He shut the water off and grabbed the towel to wipe his face and hands. "I'm not bleeding anymore so it won't get on your towel."

"I'm not worried about the towel, Axel." I assured him, rolling my eyes. "I'm more concerned about you." He smiled and my heart seemed to melt. His smiled faded when I shook my head.

"You confuse me, Riku. I can't tell if you love me or hate me." He tossed the towel onto the counter and stepped closer to me. "May I?" He held his arms out. I cocked my head as he shook his head and lifted me up bridal style. I blushed and tried to hide my face behind my hair as he carried me back to the couch. Once he set me down, he sat farther away from me. "Let me see your leg." Carefully, I laid back and put my leg up into his lap. With delicate hands he pulled up my jeans as far as he could, which wasn't very far at all.

"I don't know the answer, Axel."

"What?"

"I don't know the answer to whether or not I love you. I definitely don't hate you." I admitted as he looked at my skin. My leg was red all over and starting to swell up.

"Your leg is fine… She didn't do very much damage…"

"You're avoiding the conversation…" I noted as he pushed my jeans back down.

"Riku, I can stop myself if you don't like me the way I like you. It's really not that hard…" I could tell he was lying about the last part, but I didn't say anything about it. "Except I know you have _some_ feelings toward me, otherwise your heart wouldn't react the way it does…" I glared at him. "Sorry, I can't help not listening… It's kind of…there."

"Yeah, yeah." I rolled my eyes and swung my leg back over the edge.

"And I know that you don't want your feelings public, but you've always been like that. I don't mind that at all…" He leaned back and shut his eyes. I frowned at his battle marks.

"Is she…?"

"We're not allowed to kill each other otherwise Superior will kill us, but she _is_ in deep shit for attacking a higher rank. You have no idea how badly I want to kill her, Riku…"

"Don't." I said a little too quickly, causing him to look at me with a raised brow. "I wouldn't be able to live without you." He frowned and bit his lip. "I mean, sorry… I just… I could hardly live after you disappeared… The only thing that kept me going was the thought of you coming back…" He leaned close to me, our faces only an inch apart. I didn't feel the need to look away. "And now I found you… You can't disappear again… Promise me…"

"I promise, Riku…" His lips were against mine and I felt his hand on my leg. He tasted a little funny this time… Like ash or something… I assumed it was from the fight today and laid one of my hands on his shoulder and the other on his cheek. He pulled away but kept our faces close. I smiled and he smiled back.

"I thought you could hold back?" I chuckled and he only smiled wider.

"It's kind of hard when you talk like that, Angel." And we kissed again. At that moment I found out that I _did_ love him as much as he loved me, except he has felt this way for eleven years. I only just figured it out.

"Axel…" I pulled away and he looked me in the eye.

"Don't tell me you—"

"I love you." It felt weird saying that. I've never said it before and it made my face burn red. Axel looked at me as if I just hit him with an ice pack.

"I… I love you, too, Riku." He seemed unsure.

"Sorry."

"Don't be. I just… I didn't see that coming. Do you really love me…? Or are you trying to make me happy?"

"Both?" I wasn't even sure now. I frowned when I noticed his face turning purple around his eye and reached up to touch his face. He flinched away and stared at me as if I were dressed in some funky outfit. "This is all my fault."

"How?"

"I didn't listen to you."

"Shut up and kiss me…" He frowned and I leaned into him to kiss his lips. I crawled into his lap as his hands pulled me against him them slid underneath my shirt. A chill sprang up my spine and I shivered, making him smile against my lips. I blushed and bit his lip, but he took it as a playful gesture and laid me down with my back against the couch, his lips trailing down my neck and back up. I bit my own lip and clenched my hands in his hair. "You're lucky I can't bite you, Angel." He whispered into my ear, sending another chill down my spine. I slid my hands down through his open jacket and he sat up on his knees to shrug it off. When he came back down, I wrapped my arms around his neck to pull him against me and kiss him again.

The lock clicked and Axel jumped up away from me. We both sat next to each other as the door swung open. Kadaj walked in with a six-pack of beer and looked at us. I realized Axel was putting his jacket on and grabbed his arm. "Don't you _dare_ leave."

"I'm not supposed to be here, Riku."

"You can stay. I don't care. I'll just tell your parents I didn't see you." Kadaj shut the door behind him and put the six-pack on the table. "Want any?" He smiled, pulling one out of the cardboard case. Axel mumbled something and leaned back against the couch.

"Yeah, I'll have some." Axel held out his hand and Kadaj tossed a bottle toward him. He caught it easily.

"You drink?" I asked, almost surprised.

"And smoke. Bet you would have never guessed." He winked, snapping the bottle cap off with his hand. I made sure Kadaj wasn't listening—he was too busy looking for a bottle opener in a messy drawer.

"You taste like ash." I mumbled as Axel took a sip of his beer.

"Bad habits, sorry. I've been smoking _a lot_ since you arrived." He held the bottle on his leg and stared at it. "It's hard not to…"

"You're blaming _me_?" I folded my arms over my chest.

"No, not at all, I was just saying. I don't drink very often and when I do, I don't drink that much."

"Found it!" Kadaj held up the bottle opener. "Oh, you already got yours open." My brother laughed and opened his, walking to the couch and sitting next to Axel. Axel flinched but Kadaj didn't seem to notice. "Let's watch a movie!" Kadaj grabbed the remote from the floor and turned the TV on. After I got up, turned the lights out, and sat down, Axel's fingers slid between mine. I smiled inwardly and buried myself in the corner of the couch, holding his hand secretly and greedily.


	9. Love Me Dead

_**Tittle:** All That Shouldn't Be  
><em>

_**Chapter: **Love Me Dead**  
><strong>_

_**Rating:** M  
><em>

_**Disclaimer: **Characters belong to Square Enix I only own the plot._

_**Warnings:** Possible OOC, Shounen-ai, Possible Yaoi  
><em>

_**Author's Note: **Fact: Yaoi scenes are definitely** not** my specialty.  
><em>

* * *

><p>After Kadaj fell asleep, I turned the TV off and tossed the six empty bottles into the trash—two of them were Axel's. I went back to the couch and touched Axel's arm. He was falling asleep and I doubted he wanted to wake up next to Kadaj, especially when Kadaj had more than enough beers. Axel moved and groaned. "Come to bed." I whispered to him and helped him up. He wasn't drunk but I think he was near a buzz. He could really hold his alcohol… Still, I didn't like it. I shut my door then laid him in my bed and helped him take off his jacket and shoes. I pulled off my shirt, belt, and shoes then climbed into bed, hoping he was okay with me being here. His arm wrapped around me and I knew he was more than okay with it. I felt his lips on my shoulder with the mark as he pulled me against him.<p>

"I'm sorry for putting you in the middle of all this." He whispered into my hair. I shook my head rolled around to face him. He went to kiss me, but I held my hand at his lips. He smiled. "Sorry. I shouldn't have had anything to drink."

"At least you're not drunk." I buried my hands under the pillows.

"It takes a lot to get me drunk, Angel. I won't drink anymore, I promise." His eyes searched my face, for what? I don't know.

"No more smoking either." My request made him frown.

"As much as I'd love to do anything for you, I'm afraid I can't do that… It's natural for me to smoke and it doesn't harm me at all… I can try to make the taste go away or the smell… I don't know how to do that…" His suggestions really mattered none to me.

"I only care for your health…" This made him laugh for some reason. "What? I don't want you to get hurt." He only laughed more.

"The only way I will be hurt is if you go away… The bruises and cuts I have now are nothing compared to the scars I have on my heart from the eight agonizing years without you…" His fingertips ran down my cheek as my heart melted again. "Okay, I can't take this anymore." He got up and walked toward the door.

"Axel!" I sat up and saw the bathroom light turn on. The faucet ran for a few minutes and then he left the bathroom and walked into the living room. Assuming he was leaving, I leaped up and bolted—as fast as my limp could take me—into the living room. The kitchen light was on and Axel was searching the refrigerator. "What are you doing?"

"Looking for something to get rid of the alcohol taste." I smiled and grabbed his arm to pull him to me. I kissed his lips, not really caring anymore that he had that nasty taste added to his perfect taste. I love him. I really, really do. He shut the fridge and flipped the light switch off as I lead him back to the bed and shut my door again. Before we could even lie down, we were kissing again and his shirt was stripped off his body. His hands skillfully slipped my pants down before I could even realize what he was doing. My mind raced, but my body reacted with him, leaving him pantless. I found out then that he always goes commando. My back was against the wall when I pushed him away.

"Wait." I covered my face with one hand and held onto his arm with the other.

"Too fast?"

"I don't know." I took a deep breath and dropped my hand, forcing myself to look at the nude beauty. My heart thudded in my ears as my mind told me no but _something else_ was telling me yes. "Ugh. Fuck it." I wrapped my arms around his neck and gave myself to him.

…

I opened my eyes to a dimly lit room and an arm wrapped lazily around my waist. I turned my head to the red head lying next to me with his eyes shut and ran my fingers over his soft face. His eyes fluttered open and then shut as he stretched out his arms, smiling. "Hi, lovely."

"Hi." I kissed his forehead and the door swung open

"Riku, I'm—shutting the door now." And the door was shut. Axel and I stared after—_I_ was horrified but _he_ was very amused. I quickly pulled on some clean jeans and realized how much I ached. I groaned as I opened the door.

"Kadaj?"

"Oh, I was, uh…" Cautiously, he crept around the corner. "I was gonna tell you I was going to the store. Do you need anything?"

"No alcohol."

"I'm not old enough." He stuck his tongue out at me. "You and mom are a lot alike. Anyway, do you need anything?"

"Not that I can think of."

"Alright. I'll see you later." When Kadaj opened the front door, there was a man with long blue hair spiked at the top. He had scars that made an X between his eyes. "Oh, uh, hi. If you're looking for rent, I swear I'll have it by this weekend."

"Axel needs to report back immediately." And at that, the blue-haired man walked away from the door.

"Axel? I don't even know who that is." Kadaj called to the blue-haired man. I rolled my eyes and stretched my arms, cracking my back a few times. "That was weird… I'll see you later, brother." My brother waved and walked out the door.

"I have to go." Axel was fully clothed as he stood next to me. "That was Number Seven… I think I'm in trouble, but it was worth it." He smiled at me and I realized the gashes were now scars already pink and healed. His eye was still badly bruised. He wrapped an arm around my waist kissed me long and hard. "I'll come back, I promise."

"Go before you get in even more trouble." I pushed him toward the door.

"See you tonight." He waved as he walked out the door.

"Tomorrow. I don't want you to make it worse."

"I'll be fine." The door was shut and I watched his shadow cross the window. A pain grew in my chest with each step he took. _At least he stayed._ I thought, limping into the kitchen. I couldn't tell which hurt worse; my leg or my…back. I blushed as the events of last night flooded my mind. His soft lips against my skin and his gentle, loving thrusts… Ugh.

Shaking my head, I grabbed everything needed to make a bowl of cereal. Then I turned on the TV and sat down to watch the news. "…identified the body of yesterday's findings and, although they will not tell us who it is, they clarified it as not being Roxas Strife." Oh, shit. I forgot to ask Axel if that was him… _And if it was, you just had sex with a murderer._ I shook the thought away.

"There is a lot of talking about that boy recently." Another anchor pointed out. "It's sad when orphans disappear like that. People really have no sense of kindness." I turned the TV off and finished my bowl of cereal and watched the door, wishing Axel would walk right in and sit with me. But he wouldn't and I knew that. I was putting my bowl away when there was a knock at the door. In the back of my mind, I knew it wasn't Axel, but I rushed to answer anyway with the hope that I was wrong.

I was wrong. It was Kairi out of breath and smiling brightly. I tried not to frown in disappointment. "Kairi? How did you find me?"

"You told me you lived here with your brother Kadaj, remember? All I had to do was ask the front office." She brushed some hair behind her ear. "Can I come in?"

"Oh, uh… Yeah, I guess so." I let her in and shut the door. "So, why are you here?"

"To hang out, silly." She giggled. "I'm not allowed to hang out with a friend?"

"I guess so." The only thing we really did was watch TV. There wasn't really much we could do, anyway. "So, where's Sora?" Kairi looked surprised.

"I think he's at home. He's rarely allowed to go out on the weekends. I was hanging out with him yesterday. Why? Do you want to see him?" Her frown indicated she didn't want to. I didn't mind.

"I was just wondering." I assured her and suddenly I felt awkward. She smiled and hugged her knees.

"Have you ever, like…had a crush on someone who you just met, or something?" She stared at the TV and the awkwardness got worse.

"Not just met, really… More like recently found…" My words seemed to get her attention and she looked at me, smiling.

"Really? That's sweet." Wonder how she'd react if she knew it was Axel… She readjusted so she was sitting on her knees, facing me. "Who…is it?" Her face was red and I could tell she was trying to hide it.

"I'd rather not tell you."

"Secrets don't make friends." She laughed nervously. _But friends make secrets_. Cliché enough for you?

"Well, who is your crush?" It was an obvious answer, but I didn't want her to know I already knew.

"I won't tell you unless you tell me first."

"I guess neither of us will ever know." I watched the TV screen and avoided her hopeful gaze.

Hours seemed to drag on with Kairi sitting next to me, constantly bugging me about who I liked. Her phone rang suddenly, making her jump almost ten feet high. I laughed and she slapped my shoulder, answering her phone. "Hi, grandma! Aw okay… I'll be home in about half an hour. Okay, I love you, too." She slid her phone back into her pocket. "I have to go home…" I turned the TV back off and stood up to walk her to the door.

"Sorry, it's kind of boring here." I opened the door for Kairi and she shook her head.

"It's fine. I didn't think it was so boring." She stopped in the doorway and stared at me with sad eyes. "I really don't want to go home." I was about to say something, but she interrupted. "Riku…" She wrapped her arms around my neck and pressed her lips to mine. I froze, not knowing what to do. I've never kissed a girl—never even had any feelings toward one. There was that pain in my chest again as I kissed her back with one person in mind.

Axel.

"Sorry." She blushed and stared at the ground as she walked out the door. I bit my lip and shut the door, wiping my mouth. _Idiot!_


	10. One of Them

_**Tittle:** All That Shouldn't Be  
><em>

_**Chapter: **One of Them**  
><strong>_

_**Rating:** M  
><em>

_**Disclaimer: **Characters belong to Square Enix I only own the plot._

_**Warnings:** Possible OOC, Shounen-ai, Possible Yaoi  
><em>

_**Author's Note: **Fact: I really don't know where this whole thing is going._

* * *

><p>"So, brother… I never got the chance to ask you," Kadaj's face looked a little distant while he drove me to school. It was different and it kind of made me worry. "Are you and that boy…dating?" My heart felt clenched.<p>

"Well, not really, no…" I was puzzled. I didn't even know the answer. "I don't think so…"

"So what was that about the other night? When you two…well, you know." He shrugged but never took his eyes off the road. The memories flowed through my mind and I turned away so he couldn't see the red developing on my face.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Are you two in a fight or something?" He sounded concerned, but I couldn't really care any less.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"But talking's a good thing! You don't have to worry; your secret is safe with me. Mom always told me never give away—"

"Kadaj. I don't want to talk about it." It was silent the rest of the way to school. I was dreading the rest of the school day. I really didn't want to face Kairi or even Axel after last night. Sora was the first to find me, though.

"Hey, Riku! Nice morning, huh?" He smiled with his hands behind his head.

"I guess so." I shrugged. It was too bright for my taste.

"There's a rumor about you, y'know?" He held his hand next to his mouth. "How you might become one of _them_." I looked up to see where he was nodding toward and saw the trio plus the short bookworm. Larxene looked far worse than Axel with a nasty burn on one side of her face and a ton of yellowed bruises. Axel's bruises and scars seemed to be fading.

"Oh, yeah?" I stared as Axel looked up at me. "Well, you can tell them to shove it up their—"

"Hi, Sora, Riku!" A jolt of pain hit my chest like a bullet shot from a gun. I looked down away from Axel and bit my lip.

"Oh, hey, Kairi! I was just telling Riku about that rumor we heard this morning." Sora smiled innocently as Kairi stood beside us. "Speaking of which…they're coming at us again… They really like to bug you, Riku." I looked up, but it wasn't the whole group, just the redhead and the slate-haired boy. I couldn't even look at Kairi. Axel's smile turned into a smirk as he reached us, leaning his elbow on my shoulder.

"Hey, Angel, I missed you last night." Axel didn't even care that the other's were here. I hid my embarrassment.

"You really _are_ obnoxious, Number Eight." The short boy sighed, opening his book.

"_Angel_…?" Kairi and Sora whispered.

"It was kind of lonely without you." His fingertips ran along my jaw and I couldn't help not blushing. There were many people staring again, but most of them pretended not to look.

"Why are you doing this _here_, Axel?" I growled.

"Aw, you're blushing." He grinned.

"Answer me." I demanded. I flinched when he lowered his face to mine, his lips at my ear.

"I saw what you did. My question is; did you enjoy it?" His tone sounded serious, but I knew he was hurt and another stab of pain in my chest made me clutch onto my shirt.

"No. I didn't." I admitted. He leaned away, smile now gone.

"Prove it." He challenged.

"Prove what?" Kairi and Sora looked as confused as a duckling in a chicken coupe. I glared at Axel.

"Why are you being such a _dick_?" I snapped.

"Oh, I don't know!" He threw up his hands and glared back at me. "Maybe because my boyfriend kissed another being?" Kairi's eyes widened and the short boy's eyes switched to us.

"Since when did I become your boyfriend?" Immediately I felt bad for yelling at him. He looked like he just shattered into a million pieces, but only I would be able to tell.

"So, you were lying? What you said was a lie? Just to get in my fucking pants?"

"This is quite humorous. You're butt hurt about the exact thing you would have done." The boy shut his book and smiled. He was ignored by the redhead.

"Axel, it's not like that. I didn't mean… I just…" My heart and mind raced at a zillion miles per hour. Why did he have to make this public? "I didn't lie to you." I covered my face with my hands. "Why do you have to do this, Axel? You couldn't just confront me after school? No, because you wanted to make a point to _her_, didn't you?" I dropped my hands and pointed at Kairi. "Well, are you happy, now? You made it a point in front of her and most of the school." Axel frowned and looked around as I let out a sad chuckle. "Even the teachers over there are trying to listen in."

"Riku, I didn't mean to—"

"Was it you?" I glared, suddenly remembering the body in the dumpster. "Did you kill that kid and throw him in the dumpster the other day? Or was it you who kidnapped that Roxas kid?" The slate-haired boy glared at me. Axel shook his head.

"I didn't kill anybody. Why do you assume it was me?"

"Because it was near my apartment, the same exact place you were the night it happened. But since I know it wasn't you, then the only other suspect would be—"

"Riku, that's enough." The boy interrupted. "Axel, I'm afraid you have a lot of explaining to do with Superior when we get back." Axel bit his lip and looked up at me with dead eyes that shot through my heart. "Superior will _not_ be pleased with you." The boy tugged on Axel's arm and let go, walking back toward the other two in black. Axel followed and I felt like I was going to collapse, but Kairi beat me to it.

"Kairi!" Sora got on his knees and helped her up. Throughout the rest of the day, it was quiet between my group and Axel's group. No one said a word to each other. The walk home was even worse.

"Riku…" I couldn't tell if I was hearing things or if that was really Axel's voice. "Riku, hold on a sec." My arm was grabbed and I was spun around. Axel stood there, holding onto me as if I was about to run. Apathetically, I stared at him, not sure what emotion I should be feeling. "It wasn't me, okay? I don't kill. Not anymore, at least… I quit a few years ago. It wasn't me."

"I get it." I shrugged him off.

"You don't believe me, though…" He frowned.

"I do." Honestly, I didn't know what to believe._ Axel, I'm afraid you have a lot of explaining to do with Superior…_ I looked away. All my fault…again…

"It's like you're dead…" Axel grabbed my shoulders and leaned down to look into my eyes. I shrugged him off again. "I'm sorry, okay? I was just angry and wasn't thinking… I didn't mean to embarrass you in front of everyone…"

"I don't care…" I mumbled.

"What?"

"I don't care! I got you in trouble _again_! They know I know, now, Axel!" I didn't mean to start yelling, I didn't know what was wrong with me. He smiled a sad smile and wrapped his arms around me.

"I don't care, Riku… The worst thing they can do for me is take you away from me. But that won't happen… Not right now at least, but they won't be able to because I _will_ protect you from them… I don't care what they do to me… Just as long as I get to see you everyday…"

"Axel," He looked at me with curious eyes. "Shut up and kiss me…" He smiled and did as I said. Then I shoved him off. "I can't believe you let the whole school know about us!" He rolled his eyes.

"_You_ were the one that kissed that little hoe-bag." He countered. I frowned and looked away.

"I didn't know what to do." I wasn't even going to tell him who I was thinking about when I kissed her. "And she's not a hoe-bag, douche." He smiled and shook his head.

"Whatever." He shrugged and started walking away. I groaned and caught up with him. "I'm glad to see you're back to your old self again."

"You say that like I've been out of it for a few _years_. It's only been a few hours."

"Try seven."

"Whatever…" We walked home and argued about stupid things like we used to do when we were little. But that slate-haired boy's words stuck to me like glue.

_Superior will _not_ be happy with you._

Please don't take him away from me…


End file.
